Bitef Art Cafe

This Dorcol club is a aesthetically pleasing escape from the techno-charged and smoke-filled basement scene.

Located behind the Bajloni open market in the Mira Trailovic Square, this club has achieved a cult following among Belgrade intellectuals of all generations. However, it’s not pretentious or stuck up. Quite on the contrary, it’s very warm and welcoming.

Perhaps this is so because of the type of people that visit Bitef Art. I had a poetry professor once who said that there are two types of intellectuals. The first type are those that have become bitter because of an understanding that the world is one giant unjust mess and blah, blah, blah, and have now decided to sit around and judge everything around them and talk about it at length. The second type are those who have come to terms with this fact, realised that they can’t really change anything, and have decided to laugh about it.

The people of Bitef Art are the second type, and though I didn’t speak with each individual there, I will go out on a limb and say that they were out to have a good time judging by their enthusiastic dancing.

I visited Bitef Art on a Tuesday, when, unbeknownst to me at the time, they have their karaoke night. Had I known it was a karaoke night, I would not have gone because when I think of karaoke, I think of poorly lit basement bars, a horrible sound system, and Midi-type audio files playing in the background of a drunk 19-year-old who can’t sing.

But, at Bitef Art, t’was not so.

When we first walked in, we didn’t realise that what we were listening to was indeed karaoke. There was a live band, backup singers and two hosts, one of which was B92 radio-show Igor Brakus. In addition, the exceptional thing about this karaoke night is that the singers weren’t the only ones enjoying the music, the crowd was dancing and engaging them.

The club’s centre of focus is the stage, which has a number of variations and shapes depending on the event in question, and it’s almost as though the rest of the club evolved from the it.

At stage-left there is a balcony, which was constructed in such a way to give the club a sort of airy feel. In other words, the fact that there aren’t two floors, but rather a balcony means that the ceiling is higher and frees one of the claustrophobia/paranoia present in most basement clubs.

Now, since we’re on the topic of basement clubs like Francuska Sobarica, there is also another very specific point to delve into as far as Bitef Art is concerned. In the Sobarica, I have on a number of occasions been on the verge of tobacco poisoning because of the lack of ventilation. Though I am a smoker, I’ve become weary of too much cigarette smoke. In Bitef Art, most people don’t smoke, which is a relief.

It’s also not very dark in the place. This is because of the very thoughtful lighting system.

I would recommend you check out Bitef Art on a Tuesday, however, the club offers a number of other options like themed nights, and live jazz bands.

Vanja Petrovic was one of the youngest editors in the Balkans. Currently, she is aspiring to reach the heights of bumhood. This blog seeks to provide an insight into the day to day life of Serbs and other Gods who inhabit this now-peaceful land. Live long and conquer.